The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Damilare Ajiboye, aka “Na God”, after 12 months of evading arrest.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that the suspect was arrested on Wednesday following a raid on his warehouse in Akala, Mushin area of Lagos.

Mr Babafemi said 1,101kg of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, was recovered at the warehouse on September 4, 2023.

He, however, said the arrest of Mr Ajiboye in a bank in Ogun followed well-coordinated efforts by the agency’s Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigation, which traced 20 bank accounts linked to the suspect and blocked them.

In a related development, Mr Babafemi said NDLEA operatives in Lagos took into custody a wanted community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry, Bashir Talba, on Friday.

He said this followed the arrest of his two wives and son, as well as the seizure of 226.2kg of cannabis at their homes in Badagry on September 18.

In another operation in Lagos, the NDLEA said more than 9.7kg cannabis sativa and 50 litres of monkey tail, a fermented combo of cannabis and dry gin, were recovered from a suspect Florence Moses at Badore area of Ajah, Lekki, on Tuesday, September 24.

Meanwhile, In Kogi, three suspects, Owolabi Dele, 42; Ayodele Monday, 40; and Olawale Ojo, 22, were arrested by NDLEA operatives along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway.

Mr Babafemi said they were arrested while conveying 132 sacks of cannabis weighing 2,062.00kg in a Mercedes container truck from Osun to Dei Dei in Abuja.

Also, another suspect, Benedict Simire, 57, was arrested in Ayetoro Road, Kabba, conveying 33.40kg of the same psychoactive substance and a pump action gun with six cartridges on Wednesday, September 25.

“On the same Wednesday, operatives of the Marine Command of NDLEA intercepted a two 40HP Yamaha engines boat bearing 71 bags of Ghana Loud weighing 2,982kgs along Alfa beach, Lekki area of Lagos.

“Men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command were on hand to support the NDLEA officers in recovering the boat and exhibits after the two suspects in the boat dived into the water,” he said.

Again, on Wednesday, September 25, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers State, intercepted 1,500 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup.

Mr Babafemi said the cartons contained 150,000 bottles of the syrup and were seized during a joint examination of a targeted 40ft container with men of Nigerian Customs and other security agencies.

(NAN)